Electronic Waste

According to
the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Electronic waste, or
"e-waste", refers to electronic products that are discarded by consumers. These
include a wide range of items, such as:

televisions
and computer monitors

computers
and computer peripherals (e.g., monitors and keyboards)

audio and
stereo equipment

VCRs and
DVD players

video
cameras

telephones,
cellular phones and other wireless devices

fax and
copy machines

video game
consoles

(U.S. EPA)

Electronic waste is a growing concern
across the globe. As developing nations increasingly export electronic waste to
developing nations. These nations, once stripping the waste of its useful
parts, discard it in large dumps. These dumps become the primary source for leakage
of contaminants into the environment.

Examples of Effects of Contaminants on Ecosystem
Components

Component

Example

Individual

Change in respiration

Change in behavior (e.g., migration,
predator-prey interactions)

Inhibition or induction of enzymes

Increased susceptibility to pathogens

Decreased growth

Decreased
reproduction

Death

Population

Decreased genotypic and phenotypic
diversity

Decreased biomass

Increased mortality rate

Decreased fecundity rate

Decreased recruitment of juveniles

Increased frequency of disease

Decreased yield

Change in age/size class structure

Extinction

Community

Decreased species diversity

Change in species composition

Decreased food web diversity

Decreased productivity

Increased algal
blooms

Ecosystem

Decreased diversity of communities

Altered nutrient cycling

Decreased
resilience

(Mercury Report to Congress, 1997).

This website will attempt to inform you
about the harmful affects that contaminants from electronic waste will have on
the ecosystems which surround e-waste dumps. Each of the primary pollutants from electronic waste (Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Chromium VI, Mercury, and Selenium) is described in detail, with many outside resources linked for further research. Although there has not been specific research done on e-waste, extensive studies of component chemicals have been conducted under different contexts which can be used as an analogy. In addition, we will attempt to
outline the mechanisms by which electronic waste is exported to third world
countries, whether there are any barriers in place to prevent this, as well as
which companies are produce/limit their electronic waste.